Should this Game of Thrones question be closed?

Question

I found this question on Meta: Is the ultimate goal of Stack Exchange really to build a knowledge base for Googlers, not to help individual users (even if they ask good questions)?

Although this may not directly relate to this particular part of Stack Exchange the general consensus is that we are building a database of knowledge so that people searching the web will be able to access the database here and find whatever they are looking for.

My issue is that these two questions are considered a duplicate. I don't mind having the question marked duplicate, but I can't see how they are?

• Why are most of the main characters Caucasian in Game Of Thrones?
• Why does everyone in Game Of Thrones have a British accent? [duplicate]

I searched this site for the answer to my question before posting:

• Why does game of thrones use British accent
• Why does game of thrones use English accent
• Why does game of thrones use English actors
• Why is game of thrones filmed in Ireland
• What is the reason for English actors in game of thrones
• Why are game of thrones characters British

When researching this question, none of my searches came up with a link to my question, hence the reason why I asked in the first place. However, now all of those links to searches only point to my question that is active now.

I tried a plethora of searches and not one links to this question or answer. In order to get to that question you nearly have to literally enter the title of the question to get to it. Suffice to say, someone searching for a reason for why a certain dialect is use in Game Of Thrones WILL NOT be directed to that question.

Searching the world wide web, any number of combinations now brings up the current question on the first page if you are looking for the reason as to why, they use British or English accents. To get anything on the other question you need to specifically have Caucasian in your search.

I understand that linking to that question will create a carry down effect, but how on earth are these two questions even considered duplicate, in the sense of answering the questions title?

I could understand someone editing in a link to the original post to create that link, as it does in a sense provide some more clarity to the answer and I am perfectly fine with that. But I am perplexed as to how this could possibly be considered as it is.

I don't understand how closing this question is consistent with striving for a database of information that is most easily accessible via your search engine of choice?

But, if I am wrong, then that is the way things are and I will accept that too.

Answer 1

EDIT: your question has now been reopened.

It was reopened by five users and has since received no further votes to close. Problem solved, I think. The remainder of this answer seeks to explain some of the issues surrounding duplicate questions in general, as well as the likely motivation behind the closing of your specific question.

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Duplicates are good and increase searchability.

Closing a question as a duplicate is not some kind of 'punishment'; it doesn't mean you've asked a 'bad' question. There's a reason that on various system statistics and procedures for 'bad' questions, only questions closed not as duplicate are counted.

So why are duplicates treated better than any other kind of closed question?

• Because a duplicate of a good question is (usually) still a good question.
• Because the more different ways a question is phrased, the easier it will be to find using internet search engines.

By posting the question about British accents, you have almost certainly increased the number of people who will find an answer to that question on this site. If they search the internet for why people in GoT have British/English accents, perhaps using some of the search terms you mentioned, then they will likely find your question, which will lead them directly to the older question which also has the answer. Or in short, to respond to a particular sentence from your question:

Suffice to say, someone searching for a reason for why a certain dialect is use in Game Of Thrones WILL NOT be directed to that question.

They will now!

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Why was the GoT question closed?

In this particular case, your question Why does everyone in Game Of Thrones have a British accent? was closed because the highest-voted answer to Why are most of the main characters White/English in Game Of Thrones? already answers it. Quoting from that answer:

Caucasian is a rather silly thing to call white people, though, since it does not only refer to white people. A more accurate term here is to ask why the main characters seem to be English, which is what they are.

It then goes on to explain why this is, i.e. answering the question about British accents.

(Note that I'm not saying it necessarily should have been closed; in fact, I'm on the fence about that. I'm just explaining why it was closed. It's now been reopened, and I have no problem with that either.)

For further reading on duplicate closure, see this question on SFF meta (with an answer from a Stack Exchange Community Manager).